Week Two: Erving Goffman, "On Fieldwork""There is a freshness cycle when moving into the field. The first day you'll see more than you'll ever see again," says Goffman (p. 130). Take these wise words of this famous field researcher as good advice--be observant at each site visitation!
Read about Goffman here.
--Brent W.
after reading this excerpt i have a few things i took from it and a few criticisms.
ReplyDeletei like this excerpt because he tells you his beliefs on how you should go about and do certain things. he applied it to the way you farm, but if you take the concepts and apply it to daily life, these ideas can change how you act and react to problems.
i believe that the way this is written,though, it doesnt help me learn. i do appreciate how its written in a way that makes the reader feel more comfortable.
"i think you should spend atleast a year in the field. otherwise you dont get the random sample, you dont get a range of unanticipated events, you dont get deep familiarity. it's deep familiarity that is the rationale[...]"
if these words [along with the rest of the text] were worded differently i would have been able to better understand it the first time. but i do like what was said in the article and besides the POV i liked the article alot.
- Tara B
"You have to stop making points to show how "smart assed" you are." Goffman, Erving, "On Fieldwork," Journal of Contemporary Ethnography pg.90
ReplyDeleteThis quote represents the reading by enforcing the thought that people are not going to get a high level position right off the bat. people need to start off small and work their way up the ladder to build a name for themselves. The only way to do that is to do the necessary "field work." Once people do the necessary field work they will have the experience to hold a high level position. But they must learn all the aspects of their business first.
My impression of the reading is that people must work hard to achieve the success that they want. I agree one hundred percent with the author because this is exactly how the culinary industry works. For a person to think they will take an executive chef position right out of culinary school is ridiculous. They need to start off small and build their name in order to achieve that success. I really like how the author stated that college students are "smart assed" because they really are and not many people actually say that. they believe that they know everything and that everyone else is wrong.
-Arthur P
"Write [your fieldnotes] as lushly as you can, as loosely as you can, as long as you put yourself into it," (Goffman 93).
ReplyDeleteEvery new experience, especially when working in a field, it can be a little overwhelming, but Goffman suggest taking notes to remember as many details as possible. He also says to not cheat yourself when writing fieldnotes and be as honest with them as possible, otherwise, you're just cheating yourself out of the experience and the education. I agree with Goffman in this statement, a hands-on experience can't be entirely taken in and appreciated just visually, fieldnotes are necessary to recall an experience in greater detail.
"The way to make a world is to be naked to the bone, to have as few resources as you can get by with," says Goffman (127).
ReplyDeleteGoffman's main point throughout this reading is the way to make your field work most efficient and effective.He talks of the extensive changes you must make such as removing yourself from relationships, familiarities, and yourself as a whole. In order to observe the thing or people you may be observing you have to start fresh and not only live with them but be them. And this is why I believe this quote is applicable. You must strip your life down to nothing in order to be able to build a new one. And so in conclusion I agree with Goffman completely. It is going to be very difficult to obtain knowledge on a subject that is unfamiliar when you are surrounded with unrelated thoughts, people, and objects.
James E.
“It’s deep familiarity that is the rationale-that, plus getting material on a tissue of events, that gives the justification and warrant for such an apparently “loose” thing as fieldwork.“ (Goffman. On Fieldwork. 130)
ReplyDeleteGoffman suggests here that it is total immersion of oneself within an organization, group, or setting that allows us as observers to pick up on all of the little nuances of a situation. We must completely remove predispositions, anxieties, and assumptions if we are to gather all of the information that is presented on an unbiased level. Note taking comes into play as well so that details can be remembered and reflected upon. I think that Goffman has a very accurate idea of how to be fully aware as observers in social and professional situations in order to gain everything that each moment has to offer.
“It’s deep familiarity that is the rationale-that, plus getting material on a tissue of events, that gives the justification and warrant for such an apparently “loose” thing as fieldwork.“ (Goffman. On Fieldwork. 130)
ReplyDeleteGoffman suggests here that it is total immersion of oneself within an organization, group, or setting that allows us as observers to pick up on all of the little nuances of a situation. We must completely remove predispositions, anxieties, and assumptions if we are to gather all of the information that is presented on an unbiased level. Note taking comes into play as well so that details can be remembered and reflected upon. I think that Goffman has a very accurate idea of how to be fully aware as observers in social and professional situations in order to gain everything that each moment has to offer.
-Trevor C.
"I think you should spend at least a year in the field. Otherwise you don't get the random sample, you don't get a range of unanticipated events, you don't get deep familiarity." (Goffman, p. 130)
ReplyDeleteHow long does it take a person to really appreciate something? This passage gives us a good indication on how long it can sometimes take for us to truly appreciate all aspects of life. "On Fieldwork" may be about how to observe things in the field, but it applies to so much more. As the reading suggests unless we are willing to go all in and commit completely to what we do, we will miss all the subtleties that life has to offer us. It's in the subtleties where we find the true essence of things.
Denny M.
“You’re artificially forcing yourself to be tuned into something that you then pick up as a witness- not as an interviewer, not as a listener, but as a witness to how they react to what gets done to and around them” (Goffman 88).
ReplyDeleteErving Goffman is attempting to make us better researchers through the art of fieldwork. We can apply his technique to many areas in our lives, but especially when we go on the site visits in Northern California. We can chose to be a tourist and simply observe everything that is presented to us on the surface, or we could fully immerse ourselves in the experience; only by being receptive to everything and everyone around us can we truly appreciate our surroundings.
In this quote Goffman is inviting us to become a part of the moment, instead of simply listening or writing notes, we can all be part of the experience, and ultimately make it our own.
Claudia H.
“I think you should spend at least a year in the field. Otherwise you don’t get the random sample, you don’t get a range of unanticipated events, you don’t get deep familiarity. It’s deep familiarity that is the rationale-that, plus getting material on a tissue of events- that gives the justification and warrant for such an apparently ‘loose’ thing as fieldwork”(Goffman 130).
ReplyDeleteThis quote gives multiple insights into Goffman’s thoughts on fieldwork. First that he was very dedicated, he states that to do field work actually and completely a year must be set aside out of your normal life to devote to fieldwork. Earlier in the reading he talked about the level of commitment which he felt was necessary for thorough field work. The observer should get rid of all material possessions which are not completely necessary to them so they can better assimilate into their new life. Because that is what Goffman stressed, the observer has to become part of the group which they are observing so they can get a full understanding of what is going on in that social group. Goffman also stresses the importance of the random happenings which will inevitably occur over the course of a year. The entire reason that field work is so necessary to Goffman is because anybody can watch from the outside and see how a social system works, how it deals with everyday problems, but the real test of any system is when something unexpected happens and people have to rise to the occasion. Understanding how social systems deal with random occurrences and how the solutions to those problems are the really interesting part of social science. I thought this reading was particularly interesting although I would like to know what social systems Goffman put under this type of scrutiny.
Philip R
"There is a freshness cycle when moving into the field. The first day you'll see more than you'll ever see again. And you should take notes all the time."
ReplyDelete(Goffmen, Erving. "On fieldwork" page 130)
I think this quote portrays everything that Goffman is talking about in his speach. Sometimes when your in a new place for the first time you tend to notice things that you normally would not of even looked at. Also, goffman talks about how you have to open up in order to learn. I think this is also correct becuase we all have opinions about things and unless we open up and let new information in we would never learn anything new. Goffman seems very knowledgeable and gives good adivce.
Brittany M.
"You're artificially forcing yourself to be tuned into something that you then pick up as a witness- not as an interviewer, not as a listener, but as a witness to how they react to what gets done to and around them.(Goffman 126)"
ReplyDeleteThis discloses how he really sees himself in the field, and how we should act when we are observing. A witness can act as all the different aspects that he touches on; listening, interviewing, watching etc... Also when he speaks of "getting out" in your head really hits home to somewhat distance yourself from any previous thoughts and ideas and really become immersed into the field.
Jeff S